In the
latter years of the 17th century and early years of the 18th century a Robin
Hood type figure roamed the hills around West
Tipperary
and East Limerick.
Edmond O'Ryan or Eamonn a Chnoic or Ned of the Hills was one of a small band of
rapparees who championed the cause of the poor, the dispossessed natives and
continually harassed the English planters. Many legends and tales are told of
these men and their deeds have passed into the folklore of the area.

Edmond
O'Ryan was born at Atshanbohy near Upperchurch sometime around 1670.
His ancestors were extensive landowners, whose lands were confiscated after
the Desmond Rebellion, one hundred years before. Now, rich planters from England
owned the lands, and the Ryans remained on as tenants. This situation must have
been totally unacceptable to a young lad, whose ancestors on his fathers
side were the valiant clan of O'Riain, Chiefs of Kilnaloangarty, and on his
mother's side the famous O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh.

The
young Eamonn was sent to France
to be educated and study for the
priesthood. However, he soon decided that this was not the life for him and
returned to his native country. Soon after returning he was involved in a fracas
with a tax collector who was making off with the only cow belonging to a poor
widow who was a neighbour of Eamonn. Eamonn intervened and begged the tax
collector to take some furniture or other items which the old lady could do
without. It was all to no avail as the tax collector had his heart set on the
cow. The two
became embroiled in a brawl which ended in Eamonn shooting the tax collector
dead. He was now forced to go on the run, hiding in the many woods of his
native county, while a large reward was offered for his head.

When
King James arrived in Ireland
in 1689, Eamonn was among the many who
readily joined his army in the mistaken belief that the Jacobite cause was the
cause of Ireland.
He fought at the Battle
of the Boyne and at Aughrim before joining
ranks with Sarsfield as he attacked the Williamite siege train bound for
Limerick. Tradition has it that Eamonn was at the head of the flying column that
attacked Williams train all along its journey from Cashel to Ballyneety.

After
the Treaty of Limerick Sarsfield and his soldiers went to fight on the
continent. However, Eamonn, like Galloping O'Hogan and many others, reverted
to
the woods and lived as outlaws and attacking the English in a type of guerilla
warfare, in an attempt to drive the foreigners from their land. Many stories
have survived
to the present, telling the tales of how these men survived, how they robbed
and plundered the new land owners, how they managed to evade the soldiers who were
constantly searching for them and how they helped the poor and
down-trodden in true Robin Hood fashion. We have no way of knowing how true many
of these stories are.

Tradition
is especially rich in the case of Eamonn. One story recounts, how, being
short of money, he met a lady travelling and bade her "Stand and deliver".
The lady burst into tears as she handed over her purse which contained £100. Her
husband had left on business to England
and this was all she possessed. Eamonn feeling
sorry for her, handed back her purse, taking a half crown to tide him over.
The
lady was very grateful and on hearing that he was the outlaw Eamonn a Chonic,
promised to ask her husband to use his influence to obtain a pardon for him.

A similar
story concerns a poor man who lived near Borrisoleigh. Being appalled
by the poverty of the man, Eamonn suggested that he should give
information to the authorities concerning the whereabouts of Eamonn himself to
obtain the £5 reward. At first the poor man objected strongly but after being
assured that Eamonn knew what he was doing, he agreed. He told the military the
spot in which they would find Eamonn and obtained his reward. Eamonn awaited
the
arrival of the troops in the pre-arranged spot, but had his escape well and
truly planned.
When the soldiers arrived, he surprised them, killing seven of them before he
lost his pursuers in the hills.

Reuben Lee
was a soldier in Cromwell's army, who remained behind and took to the
hills with the outlaws. However, he hoarded up the money he stole unlike the others
who divided it amongst the poor. Having amassed a considerable sum, he
contacted the authorities and promised to hand over Eamonn in return for his
own
pardon. A deal was struck and Reuben arranged to have Eamonn at his house at a
certain date. Eamonn arrived at the house accompanied by a man called Ryan
who
lived close by. As the three chatted by the fire, the Ryan man got suspicious
of
Lee and communicated this to Eamonn, in the Irish language which Lee did not
understand. Eamonn kept a close eye on the window and spotting the soldiers
coming down the land, he immediately jumped up, shot Lee through the heart and
himself and his companion made a hasty escape.

There are
many other such stories told of Eamonn, but in truth we really know very
little about him. Apart from being an Officer in Sarsfield's Army and being
an
outlaw in the hills, we also know that he was a poet of considerable talent. His
description of the life of an outlaw is contained in that famous Irish poem
"Eamonn
a Chnoic". Another poem attributed to him and similar in style to "Eamonn a
Chnoic" is "Bean Dubh an Gleanna", a love song which may have been
written to Mary Leahy, who is reputed to have married Eamonn.

It is also
thought that Eamonn is the author of "Scan O'Duibhir a Ghleanna" a patriotic
poem, encouraging young men to follow in the footstep of John O'Dwyer of
Kilnamanagh in fighting for their land.

Much
tradition also surrounds the death of Eamonn. According to the Cork
Archealogical Journal, he was killed by a relative of his, O'Dwyer, in Hollyford.
It seems that O'Dwyer gave refuge to the tired and hungry outlaw, and while he
was
sleeping cut his head off with a hatchet. He then placed the head in a sack and
headed for Cashel where he hoped to get the reward. However, what O'Dwyer did
not
know was that Eamonn had been pardoned a short time before. On arrival at Cashel
the head was placed on a spike over the gate of the jail. It was later taken
down
and given to Sadie, his sister, who had it buried at Curraheen near Hollyford.
A
skull was found at this site a few years ago and a memorial has been erected
here. It is said that friends of Eamonn had taken his body from where O'Dwyer
had dumped
it and buried it in Doon
graveyard. However this has never been verified.

"Ce he
sin amuigh

A
bhfuil faobhar ar a ghuth

Ag
reabadh no dhorais dunta

Mise
Eamonn an Chnoic

Ta
baite fuar fluich

0
Shiorshuil Sleibhite's gleannta".

THE OUTLAW KIRBY

W.R. Le
Fanu tells of a famous outlaw who lived in Abington in the early years of
the 19th century. His name was Kirby and he was high on the wanted list of the
constabulary, in connection with the shooting of a landlord near Nenagh as
well
as many other crimes against landlords in the area. These were the years of
aggression and land unrest and often "hit-men" like Kirby were hired to kill
landlords or their agents who were unpopular among their tenants. There was a
substantial price on Kirby's head and the police were doing all in their power
to
apprehend him.

Kirby we
are told was a great sportsman, and even with a price on his head, he was a
regular attendant at many hunts, race meetings and coursing matches. The Rev. Coote,
rector in Doon, met him at one coursing match and was much impressed
by his manner, but later was taken aback to discover that he was the famous
outlaw.

Kirby's
mother lived with her daughter in a one roomed cottage in Abington. The outlaw
often visited his mother, but rarely stayed the night. On one particular Sunday
evening, having arrived at the cottage late, he was prevailed upon by his mother to
stay until the following day. However, a neighbour had spotted him entering
the cottage, and hoping to get the reward informed Major Yokes in Limerick of
the fugitives whereabouts. Yokes had for long been on Kirby's trail and was
determined to bring him to justice.

Meanwhile,
the old lady's daughter had gone to a wake and stayed out all night.
Kirby sat by the turf fire dozing with his pistols at the ready beside him.
The
old woman was in bed, when she heard the sound of soldiers approaching. She
sprang up to see her son, grabbing his guns and making for the door. She called
back with the following words: "Whist, you fool, Here be quick, put on Mary's
cap,
take your pistols with you, jump into bed and turn your face to the wall and
lave
the rest to me".

Kirby,
realising that this was his best chance quickly obeyed and shortly there was loud
knocking on the door. The old lady opened the door and in burst the red-coats.
"Where's your son", they enquired of the woman. "Plaze God, he's far enough from
ye", was the reply, "there's no one here only Mary and myself.

The
soldiers fell for this ploy and marched sadly back to Limerick. After this
close escape Kirby never spent another night in his mother's house.

However,
Kirby's luck was soon to run out. While hiding in a farmer's house in Doon
one night, he was startled to hear footsteps coming towards the house. Grabbing
his guns he slipped quietly out the back door. The owner of the house was
awakened by the sound of a gunshot. He went outside to find the outlaw lying
dead
on the grass, having been shot by his own gun. In his haste to get away he
had
tripped over some briars. As he fell his pistols discharged, he was shot through the
heart and Major Yokes was deprived the opportunity of bringing him to justice.

Have you ever walked the lonesome hills and heard the curlew's cry
Or seen the raven, black as night, upon a windswept sky?
To walk the purple heather and hear the westwind cry.
To know that where the rapparee must die.

Since Cromwell pushed us westward to live our lowly lives,
There's some of us deemed to fight from Tipperary mountains high
Noble men with wills of iron, who are not afraid to die,
Who will fight with Gaelic honour held on high.
Of one such man I'd like to speak, a rapparee by name and deed
His family dispossessed and slaughtered, he swore to fight the British breed,
His name is known in song and story and his deeds are legend still,
I'll tell you now the sorry fate of Eamonn of the Hill.

CHORUS:

You may rob our house and fortune, even drive us from the land,
But you'll never break our spirit, 'cos you'll never understand
The love of dear old Ireland, that will forge an iron will
As long as there are gallant men like Young Ned of the Hill.

A scourge to the redcoat soldiers with a price upon his head,
To tempt a weaker soul to tell where he kept his bed,
One night as he lay sleeping, his head beside his sword,
Murdered by his cousin Dwyer to claim a coward's reward,
The day after O'Dwyer had murdered Young Ned in his bed,
He went for his blood money but was jailed himself instead,
For poor Ned he had been pardoned the very day before,
And a noose upon the gallows was O'Dwyer's just reward.
A curse upon you Oliver Cromwell, you who raped our motherland,
I hope you're rotting down in hell for the horrors that you sent
To our misfortunate forefathers whom you robbed of their birthright
'To Hell or Connaught,' may you burn in hell tonight."

Ned of the Hill (Air)

Eamonn A Chnoic (Ned of the Hill) is a very old air. The song in Irish
originally told the story of Edmund Ryan of Tipperary. After the disastrous
Treaty of Limerick of 1691, Ryan choose not to emigrate to France during the
"Flight of the Wild Geese", but remain in Ireland conducting what would today be
called a guerilla campaign. He was eventually betrayed and murdered. Some
stories have it that the price on his head had been lifted weeks before his
death.

As an air in the old style, Eamonn A Chnoic should be played very expressively.
While it is notated above in 3/4 time, it is actually played "rubato". I
strongly suggest that any who wish to perform this tune first find a
recording or a performer who has this in their repertoire. If you can find a
piper who plays this, all the better!